Not Skinny But Not Fat - Steve Howey on Sex Scenes, Manifesting, and Parenting

Episode Date: February 28, 2023

Ok I loved this one. The star of CBS' True Lies w/ Ginger Gonzaga talks with me about manifesting, working on Shameless, his unusual childhood, parenting during covid, and the new show. Trust me- You're gonna fall in love with Steve.   Produced by Dear Media This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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We talk about what's going on. Tune in every Tuesday and just feel like. you're talking a show with your best friends in your living room. He's in an audition. He's sending in his self-tape. Hi. Steve Howie, reading for the role of Trevor. Steve Howie is on the podcast today, and I've learned one thing about him. Well, two, first of all, he's really funny.

Second of all, he does not friends with technology. Nope. That is not my friend. Not your friend. I started in this business 20 plus years ago, 23, 4 years ago. And so I've always had professionals handling the technology, handling the camera work, the lighting, the sound. So why did I ever have to do it? Now I have to be my own gaffer, director photography, mixer. Wait, so what about like social media?

Are you, like, doing Instagrams, TikToks? I do, but, like, yeah, I just having this conversation with a friend of mine. He's really good at it. I won't say his name. But he's got a lot of followers, and he's always posting his workout videos at Night Live. And, you know what I mean? And he does these dance sequences. That sounds like icky, though.

Who's this? I need to know this. But he's, like, telling me that I have to post more. And I'm like, dude, I don't care. I don't even know. You know what I mean? I used to have a Nokia flip fun. I'm so about to go back to that.

I was just going to ask you, there are those old people that really resist change and they stay with the Nokia phones? Like, are you almost at that level you're saying? You know it was the best phone and I had it, by the way, everybody.

It was the keyboard phone. It was like after the Nokia, you flipped it open and it had like a keyboard. Was it a black? Well, oh no, the black bear was like the OG, but I'm talking about like the flip up.

Oh, and it looked like a full computer phone. Wow. Yeah, that's cool. The first texting when you had, yeah. It was cool. Okay, you guys, I can't believe Steve Howie's here. It's like such a cool opportunity to get to talk to you

because your new show, True Lies, coming out on March 1st. I got to see the first episode, not trying to show off or anything, but I did. Super cool show. You play a spy. Play spy. Yeah. Tell me about it. Well, the series, the show, the pilot that you saw, it's based off of the iconic hit blockbuster movie,

James Cameron's True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold. Yeah, it was, it was a, they were big shoes to fill. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I think we pulled off something cool. We tried to make it our own. We have an amazing cast. I got to do my own stunts. I was a lot of fun. My own stunts as far as that what was allowed and what the insurance company would allow.

Wait, like fly the helicopter? Of course, yeah, put the helicopter, jump through the glass. I just say the jump through the glass scene killed me because like wasn't I was like why couldn't he have gone to the door because they're trying to get out of there as fast as possible and he's got to go glass and then you jump through you're getting out of there there there's bad guys chasing you have no you don't have time to like open the door for the for the misses wait so for real though which real sense did you do the fighting was all me that was a whole choreography it was it was much longer but we had to cut it

The glass was not me. That was Chad, my stunt double. And those stunt actors, performers, they really are like a different breed because I don't know if you know this, but I thought it was sugar glass. And sugar, it is, doesn't, can't hold the weight of all that surface. So they use real glass. So they just jump through real glass. And what they do is they put chargers on either corner of the glass door or the glass window.

And as the stunt performer jumps through, they explode the chargers. So it tempers it, and then they go through it. The thing is, though, is it's real glass. When you land on it, you get cut. So when they got up, they were bleeding from all their little microcuts all over their body. The girl that Ilana is her name, she was Ginger Stunt Double. She was like a river of blood that was coming from her arm off her pinky. And then my Stunt Double Chad, that was cut here on the face, cut here, cut there.

so it's real like they go through glass and they get cut up because they're not going to allow that but as far as the fighting the jumping out of the car the not flying the helicopter now but like grabbing the guy he was old so I didn't really want to like throw him that hard but it was true I was like I can't throw this guy I mean he's up on the helicopter let me just place him let me just place him down but yeah it was a lot of fun I've always wanted to do something that I got to shoot the gun, punch the guy, kiss the girl, and crack a joke. Yeah, I was going to say it's fun because it's also funny.

So it's like, I don't remember what's true lies funny. Like, I definitely watched it, but I don't remember it was. Yeah, you're too young to remember it. But it was. No, I'm not, Steve. I watched it. Actually, I'm 34. I know you thought I was like 22.

That's when it came out. It was when you were born. Well, I caught up. You know, my pop culture. Pop culture, honey. No, I watched the movie. Can you tell me how it was. works, though? Like, does James Cameron need to approve the fact that, oh, he did?

Uh-huh. Wow. All of them did. We have a whole, like, all-star roster of executive producers, James Cameron, McChie, Ray Santini, Mary Viola, Corey Marsh, Anthony Hemingway, who is a director producer. He was a director on Shameless for a few episodes. We became very tight. He's like one of the coolest people I've ever met. And he got the job to direct the pilot. And so he gave vehicle and he goes, I got something for it. You have to do it. And I was like, hey, shit, you say jump. You know, I say how high. Let's do it. What is it? It's like, it's true lies. And I'm like, true lies the movie? And he's like, yeah. And I went, they know I'm not an Austrian bodybuilder, right? Like, what are you saying? Like, that dude's my hero. How do I even step into those shoes? How do I even

do that? But yeah, it was a dream come true. Careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. Because I did manifest it. I did. Oh, yeah. A lot of people have They're like woo-woo beliefs and stuff, but I had something happen that was really profound. So during 2020, during COVID, I had my three kids to myself for six and a half months because their mom was stuck in Toronto for six months because they shut down the border. So I had two five-year-olds and an 11-year-old for over six months by myself. No nanny, no mom, no sister, no help. and it was like I was talking to the universe I was talking to God and I was like what karma is this like what did I do

at such a high level that I developed alopecia ariata and huge chunks of hair fell out and I had to shave my head for the last season of shameless shameless when we did eventually go back and that was a whole new thing to go back to the kids I was losing my mind trying to keep them in pain and I was like we're going to do vision boards and they're like what's vision boards and i was like you cut out pictures of things you want you put it on a board you go let's go so we went and cvs was open and we're all masked up and we went into cvs we got these big white boards we went to different places i had some magazines they had their books and magazines for kids and we each made vision boards and it was just like the four of us making vision boards cut to getting the pilot anthony calling me doing okay i got the job for true lives My oldest son, this is like in 2021 now, pulls out from underneath my bed, my vision board, and the one picture of a human, because it was mostly pictures of like vacation homes and furniture and cars and stuff like that. But the one picture was Sean Connery in 2007 wearing a bow tie, a white shirt, black tucks, and the black bow tie.

And I was like, and he's like, dad, that's like, it looks like you from the pilot. I went, whoa. And so there's something to that, that you have to, for it to become real, for it to become reality, you have to first think it. So careful what you say about yourself, it'll come true. Careful what you think about yourself or a situation, it will come true. For that to happen, you have to think it first. So I, in one way directly or indirectly, I put that out there that I wanted to do this

type of character, this action star, spy, 007 bond kind of vibe. And it came to fruition. So that stuff works. That's so cool. Yeah. And you know what? I talk about manifestation a lot. And I actually say, I mean, yours is kind of like cosmic because you actually put it on that piece of paper and that was like a real. But a lot of time manifesting is like actually putting in the world. Like I think manifesting is like you want something. You put everything. you got towards that thing and you make it happen and like you know what I mean so yours was like a combination because obviously you've been working in the industry for so long you know the types of things you want to do you put like a dream roll on a piece of paper and it happened that's wild

that's exactly right it's you have to put work into it it's called dreams into action and he's knowledgeable on the subject oh yeah so you know who depok troper is yeah okay like the OG one The OG, Deepak Chopra. Mm-hmm. So he says that when a thought occurs, there's an electrical pulse that happens from synapse to synapse in the brain. That electrical pulse is made up of the same atoms as everything that's material in our world. The pillow behind you, your mic, us, we're all made up of atoms.

So just because you can't see it, smell, it, taste it, or feel it, doesn't mean it's not in the material world, our thought. But when you manifest, it's also not just the thought of I want. It is that it's already happened. It's already here. So you already are in agreement of the reality that it already exists and you act as if and then it comes. So like be a little delusional. Yeah, absolutely.

Delusion is, but that's, that's all about perspective. One person's delusion is another person's like reality. I know. I know you guys have seen the yes, I have the aura ring. Don't be jelly. Don't be jelly. You know, I need to be on trend. And I was super jealous of everyone who had one. And also, I really wanted to know how I'm sleeping. Like, I really don't remember what happens at night. A lot of times my husband will ask me like, did Noah wake up last night? I'll be like, I don't know. Or I'll know that Noah woke up, but I'll have no idea at what time. Anyway, I really wanted to start keeping track of like my sleep, the calories I'm burning, if at all, activity levels, body temperature. Sometimes I wake up with like night sweats. Like, what is happening? Also, my sleep quality, respiratory rate and more. And all of that is done with the aura ring. And you get your personalized data in the aura app. It's all synced up. It's also an easy to wear a ring. It's water resistant. And it comes in two styles and five colors to match your aesthetic. And it has a vibe. Like I just feel like it does

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So you stayed with the kids. You got so stressed your hair fell out. Yeah. You were talking to God. It was a time. But did the manifesting vision board thing and this time with their kids during COVID make you more into that stuff? Like the Deepak Chopra manifestation? I had to.

I was meditating what I've ever done before because I was I was a little nervous. I was like either I'm going to kill myself. I'm going to kill them. I'm going to run away and abandon them. I'm going to what am I going to do here? And so I really did a deep dive. I read Michael Singer's The Untethered Soul, which is an amazing read. I really highly recommend that.

I read Dr. Joe Dispense's Becoming Supernatural. another amazing read and it's wait and the kids didn't have school then so you were home oh we were home homeschooling so i had three kids on iPads and i would go to room to room talk about trouble with Wi-Fi it was like i mean yeah so i had three different rooms to go to because they all had to be separated so i was running around cutting fruit and like locksing a bagel and like giving it to them and being like here eat you have to eat and i'm in the background like just oh my god i'm bald so okay when i recall kevin ball as you guys know steve how we played the legendary kevin ball and shameless for all of its season since it started in 2011 and did last year right

2022 it ended in 2020 what that 2021 i mean well it came out in 2020 oh yeah it came out in 2020 to i remember kevin ball having a shaved head and like you were about to say you're not a austrian bodybuilder but like kevin ball was giving bodybuilder at some point oh yeah kev definitely well that evolution happened because when i started shameless i had longer hair i was right i was ride my harleys a lot but then i was always naked and i was doing these crazy scenes With Chinole Hampton, and she looks great. She was already dialed in and was like working out all the time. And she would like wake up at 4 in the morning and go work out and come into work.

And I'm like, and then so I started working out as a way because I was like, well, I'm already naked anyway. I might as well start looking good. So I was hitting the gym a lot. And then, yeah, the hair thing, it was like all over the place. I went to a ponytail into a braid. And then I buzzed it, had a faux hawk at one season. And then that last season, I was, I had a bicket. I had a shave that balled because I had all these patches.

Oh, my God. First of all, relatable. Okay. Speaking of the sex scenes, I don't know if you saw this, but a few days ago, I found out a couple things. Did you see the movie with Jonah Hill, the new one? You people. Yeah.

Okay. So a lot of people talked about like the, the main, well, a lot of people talked about the movie in a lot of ways, but that they didn't like didn't have chemistry, the main characters, whatever. And then an article came out in New York Post that the one kiss that they had in the movie, which was at the wedding scene at the end, was C.GI, that they didn't even kiss IRL. Okay. And then I started spinning about it and reading more about this happening. Like Lindsay Lowen in her new Christmas movie didn't kiss her dude because of religious reasons. So then when the interview with you was coming up, I was like, this is a juxtaposition because you had, what didn't you do on camera? Like, your character aren't shameless and or I mean it was it was wild it was lots of sex scenes like very very much a lot of them so what do you think about what I just told you like what's what's happening now oh and there was also pen Badgley who's in you just did an interview where he said

that he asked for less sex scenes out of respect for his wife so all of this is happening like this week like and then so I had to ask you your thoughts on it I think it's just a testament to where we're going in society. I just falling apart. Actors who can't kiss anymore, we can't make a lot. No, I think, listen, for religious beliefs,

I think it's admirable. If you don't vibe with the other actor and the technology can provide you to do that, so be it. You know what I mean? It's really up to the person. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I will say for us, the actors and shameless,

we definitely didn't do CGI. That was, that was all us. And from the pilot, I mean, I was full frontal legs exposed. And yeah, I didn't really know about fluffing beforehand because I'm not a porn star or anything. Wait, what's fluffing? Fluffing is when you get blood flow. And so it just hangs better. Wait, so how do you fluff?

Stand upside down? No, no. Fluff, you get it ready. You know what I mean? Was there an intimacy coordinator on set for a shameless? not at the beginning because this was before me too happened and this is before a lot of this happened and luckily the actors especially my partner in at shenola hampton were still best friends we became best friends and so i know i could tell i feel like we could always tell like by

well funny enough like social media maybe she she's like good on social so i remember getting that vibe that you two were really close and you're saying that's still true which is so cute yeah she's Our kids have grown up together. I go to her house all the time. Really good friends with her husband. I adore them. Yeah, they're best friends. But I was married at the time.

She was married. Still is. And it was, it's part of the job. It's just part kind of the job. It's like, but it's easier when you do get along with the other person. You respect the other person. I was very protective of her.

And so I didn't, they wanted her. Some directors wanted to be a little, sorted, a little gratuitous, and it's like, we don't need to do that. We already do enough as it is. But yeah, that was, it was a lot. But a lot of the nudity and the sex scenes came from really, really well-written material. So it didn't feel gratuitous. Some were a little, but for the most part, we protected each other and we made something, something really cool because, hey, it lasted 11th season. So love shameless. So was there any scene in particular that you remember that was like

the most awkward or hardest to shoot? Was there a specific sex scene unshameless that that you were like awkward, feeling awkward about filming? Yeah. So when I when I audition, they told me they're like, you know that this is full frontal. I go, yep, let's do it. And I remember that was the time in 2000, what was it, 10? No, 2009. Something like, it was like 2009 was the pilot. And at that time, there was no prosthetics. Now all these guys are wearing prosthetics.

They're putting on fake... Well, I just have to say this. You guys, if you don't know, this is pop culture. Steve Howie's, the mother of his children, is Sarah Shahi, who acted in sex life. Who, speaking of prosthetics, there was a huge thing there where the guy in sex life, everyone was like prosthetic or not prosthetic, I think they said it was prosthetic. So yeah, that's, that's what's happening now, which I don't know if it's fair. Not to other dudes.

Not fair. Not fair in life. Like, not fair. Like, if I knew that was part of the deal, I would have won one. I would have been like, are you kidding? I hope everybody has Zoom and they can like watch that scene. But no, one of the other like awkward, but it was kind of like a fantasy come true in a weird way. Veronica and Kev are trying to get pregnant.

For whatever reason, she can't get pregnant. So we in with the help of Veronica's mother. Oh, my God, yeah. And there was a part where Kev is not getting aroused because it's her mother. And so she's straddling me. And then Shnola sits on my face. So I have these two women, these two actresses on top of me

with a whole stage full of crew. and we're doing the scene and it's really fun and it's like crazy and then one of the crew members come up to me and they're like this is like a lot of men's fantasy that you're living and I go somebody's got to do it

you know what I mean it might well be me and a member about we talked about manifesting about putting things dreams into action so I know dreams into action your wife and her mom

oh my God I remember that I'm so grateful for them because they made me feel very comfortable and I tried to make them comfortable. So, yeah, that was, I guess, a high point. That is really crazy to think about shameless versus CGI wedding peck. I'm not talking tongue. I'm not talking like a French kiss.

I'm talking like what you saw was like a wedding peck and that was allegedly CGI. I love that movie. I thought it was really well done. Yeah. Eddie Murphy was like absolute it's like one of the best performances I've seen it also how is he like how is he like 85 like I don't understand exactly so handsome he still looks the exact the exact same I don't know the man's a legend I enjoyed it I thought it was a great movie but yeah it is new world now you don't have to peck somebody anymore

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Just use code not skinny 20 when you check out at the modern age studio. Again, that's not skinny 20 to get 20% off at modern age. Okay. So let's talk more about you. Steve Howie. Okay. I want to know more. So I don't know if you know, but there are. has also been a thing in pop culture about nepo babies.

I heard about that? Uh-huh. And then I was like, wait, is Steve Howie kind of a nepo baby? How so? Because your dad had that acting class thing? Yeah, I don't, he wasn't famous though. Yeah, that's true. I don't even know, yeah.

He was just like in the industry, right? Nepotism is when you have power and you can, your children are, or family members or friends are allowed to jump the line, if you will, and, like, not have to pay all the dues and they can just get an amazing job. But I don't really mind nepotism if the person is talented. Because then, like, yeah, I mean, why wouldn't you? If your daughter or son or brother or sister are talented or even at the very worst attractive, yeah, and they can, like, pull it off?

Why not? I'm not opposed to it if the person is great if they suck and they are just like and it's just like it's just it's just gross then it's just like okay obviously you got the job because of XYZ yeah I don't I don't mind that I think there's a lot of actors who are brilliant and they're they've gotten in they've gotten some doors open for them so I'm okay with that but no my I am lucky though because my dad was an acting teacher for many many years decades and I got to grow up in that world and see it. So I started acting very early. I wanted to be a basketball. I played junior college basketball with hopes of going to a university and didn't because it was too hard. I couldn't keep up. Did you get injured? No, I just couldn't keep up. I practiced more than anyone and I, we had a, I had a guy on my team in college that all he did was eat Twizzlers. That's what it seemed like. It's all he did was eat Twizzlers. He barely worked out, but he could just dunk on everybody, shoot, threes, defend. And it was just like, I couldn't keep up

with him. And his nickname was Fat Man, but he was the office. He was like this Adonis with an eight pack. And I was like, do you eat food? I'm like, oh, so just nap, you're just a natural stud. Cool. I was like eating protein shakes every day. I was working out. I was lifting weights. and I still couldn't get to their level. And so also I was very animated on the court. I was very, I couldn't, I didn't have a poker face. Like, so the transition to acting class helped. Wait, is that not good to be animated as a basketball player?

No, in sports, you want to have a poker face. So, you know, if you do something bad, it doesn't register. And even if you're like feeling really upset inside, your competition or your enemy or your The other team or other player doesn't see you wither. The best players you can't tell. They tell quarterbacks. You throw an interception. It's over.

It's gone. It's in the past. It doesn't exist anymore. On to the next play. You have to have that kind of mentality of like, if there is a mess up, you move on. And if there is a success, if there's an amazing play that you make, you don't celebrate. You just move on. And you were like celebrating?

I was just like, yeah, I was crying. like temper tantrums and like play I would look for I was like yeah and it was just like there's still a play going on keep going but yeah so that transition was kind of the right one also I guess I was very lucky because I my dad's acting class back in the day he had some he had some players George Clooney was in his class wait was this is you were born in Texas so was this in Texas or in California just and we moved to L.A. when I was an infant and I was still. So like a baby. I grew up in Southern California most of my life.

There were a couple of years that we moved to Phoenix, went back to L.A. And then I went to one year of high school in Colorado. So my adolescence was, my dad was a sailor. So I grew up on sailboats, two different sailboats. Your dad sounds cool. Yeah. I mean, it was homeschooling, lived in Mexico for a year and a half up and down the coast of Mexico. Their plane was to go south to the Panama Canal.

go through the Panama Canal, we go north, up to the islands. But by the time we got to Panama, it had been like almost a year. Because when we stopped along the coast, they stayed and we fished for lunch and dinner. We traded. I would swim ashore and I'd be gone in whatever town off the coast of Mexico. This sounds like not real life. It was an amazing childhood. But to look back on it, I would never do it with my kids.

kids. My parents are a lot more adventurous than I am. Wow. So how did your dad become an acting coach from being a sailor? He was in the Navy and then became an actor and was an actor in the Cleveland Playhouse, Cleveland, Ohio. And then he just, it transitioned into teaching. And he was a very artistic man. And he was a brilliant teacher. I was one of his worst students. But it was kind of like the coach's son kind of thing so it was like i had to prove a little bit more and i had to do but because of the osmosis if you will of just being around actors and acting classes i feel like i was a little bit ahead of a lot of people also my mom is a teacher as well she took over the acting class and she's been in class for 40 plus years and she is her own

amazing teacher but she would also she always has all these carla isms her name's carla and she would say to me things like people buy what you sell steve people buy what you sell what do you selling are you selling insecurity are you selling confidence are you selling charm are you selling good and like what do you sell and i was like oh that's interesting also my dad's thing was like you don't have to think the thought of the character but you have to think about something and so I had all these things in life, so when I would go to, I've been in acting class for decades before I started working professionally. So everybody can tell a bad actor when you're in the audience. Anybody can. It's one of the easiest things. If something's good, if you know,

if something's bad. But when you're on stage and it's black and the lights come on, it is hard to get out of your way. It is really hard to have that confidence to unzip your chest, to expose your heart and soul and then to close it back up and zip it back up and then go sit down but if you do it enough times and you're really passionate about it acting classes are the purest form of acting the closest thing to old theater back in new york and doing that for many many years i started to get confident about it i started liking it and then it wasn't until sitcom riba when i really It was one of those things where, because I played such a fool in that, and it was so fun. And, like, there's a lot of similarities in Kev to Van to play this, like, it's just so fun to play that.

And then this and true lies, it's the complete opposite. There's some things where I get to be goofy in, and Ginger Gonzaga allows me to, like, be goofy, and then I'll be her straight man, and she can be goofy. She's brilliant. She's so funny. but also being a leading man and being charming and being sincere. So it's, you know. It's different. It's different from other things.

You're right. Now that you said that about playing like the full part, you did have a few roles like that. Like did you ever feel like you were kind of tight like that was your typecast a little bit? Not at all. I didn't care because I had so much fun doing it. What was the other? Well, you had the great kind of guest starring role in Ride Wars.

Yes. Which was fun. I love that. Thank you. And what was your favorite kind of movie to play, to have like a guest starring role? I loved something borrowed to pick that character. I only do romantic comedy movies with Kate Hudson, apparently. But that was a lot of fun because it was free.

I think True Lies, as hard as this job was, this was one of my favorite roles. Well, you have all these things. It's so good, guys. I watched the first episode. It's also so fun. It really could almost be kind of a movie. Yeah, well, it's based off the movie. I think we have the DNA of the movie,

but we did try to make it our own. We knew we had big shoes to fill. There's a lot of homages to the movie, but this had to be our own. Ginger Gonzaga is her own person who brings her own fire. I'm doing my own thing. Omar Miller, his experience, and he's a veteran and amazing and has this powerful energy.

Eric Hernandez, it's gorgeous, awesome in it. Michael Gorman used to write for Jimmy Fallon. So a lot of our cast has either been, like between Omar and I, we have over like 45 years of experience. He's been doing it. His first job was Aymont back in 2000, 2001. Yeah. So he's been doing it forever.

Ginger has started off in 2007 as a stand-up. And then she... Oh, wow. Yeah, so she transitioned into... being an actor and Erica has done comedy bits and like so everybody has that comedic background but you know it's easier for a dramatic actor to do comedy than a comedic actor to do drama some of our most profound dramatic actors some of the best actors are some of the funniest out there if you look at the late great robin williams robert de nero true merrill street i mean these are the best actors of our times

And they were, they're the funniest. I mean, what was that movie with Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis? It was like, you have to see this movie. It is. What is it? Whatever it's called, becoming her. Bruce Willis, did you hear about his diagnosis? Yeah.

Yeah, that's sad. My dad suffered from dementia before he pat. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. All right. Thank you. But I wish him and his family well. It's a brutal disease. Okay.

So for everybody listening, True Lies, coming out March, first. We gave a little bit away. It's spy. It's obviously you have a wife in the situation. It's like a family spy, a little bit funny, lots of action. Give us a little bit more. So we set up like the movie that Harry Tasker, who I play, is a spy. He's been lying to his wife for 17 years for her protection, obviously, that he's a spy. And in our pilot, Helen is starting to get a little bored of Harry, and because of all these trips and these, like, elusive talks and her being suspicious, Helen Tasker, Harry's wife, talks with her best friend, and they think that he's having an affair. So he decides to bring her on a mission to Paris, to convince her

that he's not having an affair, to the upset of the other spy Omar Miller's Gibb. And so while in Paris they get kidnapped and he admits to her that he's a well don't tell us the whole show well that's fine he can have that it's just words not like i'm okay so what happens is because he tells her she helen has to become a spot now it's now if i tell you i have to kill you and yeah i tell you you you have to be in on it yeah so there's a lot of images to the movie but it is our own version of true lies as well And again, Ginger Gigi, Ginger Gonzaga is amazing. The funny thing about our cast is I'm 6-4, Omar's 6-6, which I love. Why, you like feeling small?

I love it. I love looking at eye. I have to, like, when I would have to do readings and tests with other actors, if I was playing like their best friend, I would have to split my legs. So I was shorter. Wait, they would tell you that? They would, oh, my God. Like, yeah, I'm like, no, I can't.

So this was amazing. And then Mike is 6-1, and we make him look like he's 5-7. He's 6-1, he's tall, but we make him look sure. And then there's little Gigi who's 5-3, but she's the biggest out of all of us, because she has so much presence and so much power. So the affinity that we had as a cast really helped push this. That's so cool. In the pilot, we had like season three chemistry.

We were hanging out afterwards. We were going out to dinner. We were taught. We were still on cast, text. Where did it film? So we did the pilot in New Orleans and we did the series in Atlanta. Oh, series are always in Atlanta, aren't they? Are you in L.A.?

No, I'm in New York. New York. Yeah, I'm cool like that. Are you on the island? On the island. Nobody says that, Steve. No one says that. The island of men.

Yes, I'm on the island. Yeah, people don't say that. Okay. Okay. So I wanted to ask you a couple more questions about Jameless and then I'll let you go. Okay, just about the Shameless cast, because I know you're really close to Shanoa. Are you close still with other castmates? Jeremy Allen White just had like huge, huge break, got a golden globe.

Are you proud of him? Do you talk to him? I just talked to him the other day. Have you seen his, the new Vanity Fair? I did. I did. He's a very special individual. I just FaceTime with Ethan.

Kikoski, who played Carl. People say we look alike. Do you see it? No, you're much more attractive. I could see it once. I was like, okay, I could see him being my little brother. Billy Ilish vibes. Billy Elish, I've gotten before, yeah.

Yeah, I haven't talked to Cameron as of late. We texted, but yeah, I'm still in communication with all those guys. Shinola, we talk daily. She's a bestie. I still communicate with Joanna Garcia from Riba. I just texted with Riba. herself. She's to be playing the Hollywood Bowl, April 1st. Cool. Melissa Peterman. So, yeah. That's so important. I just had, you know, Bill Lawrence.

Of course. So he was just on my podcast and he was saying how he gets asked a lot, like, why do the same people like act in all your stuff? And he was just like. Because I like. Because I like. Right. And that's what, that's what he said. He was like, I like picking people to work with that I like that I can like hang out with all day. Yeah. So the thing is, though, is like, look, there's a lot of chatter about Hollywood from different sides, politically speaking or ideological point of views. Some of the best people I've ever met in my life are from Hollywood. And it doesn't mean just producers or directors or famous people or actors. It's also the crew. You got to remember, there's just thousands and thousands of crew members who are artists themselves. And they got into this business. And it's there, not. nine to five, but they're still artists and they're passionate and brilliant and some of the most amazing people. But within that, there are undesirables. And I think a lot of that was weeded out and still is over the last few years, especially the last couple of years. Yeah, and I think that is unfortunate because this industry is amazing. And it's changing because of social media, because of YouTube and TikTok and Instagram and podcasts, there's a lot more things to look at.

And so Hollywood doesn't have all the eyeballs anymore. So our industry is changing, but we still have literally the most amazing people. And it's unfortunate that, quote unquote, Hollywood gets a bad rap because there's so many good, yeah, there's monsters, but there's monsters in every industry. But I would say like 99% really are amazing, great people. Just a couple of random questions. Are you watching anything good on TV right now? You know what I'm what I've watched that I really liked? Emily and Paris.

I love that show. I'm dead. You do? First of all, I could see you like being on that show in that capacity. I would have to play like flamboyant if I ever went on the show. But like I don't know if you can anymore. You know what I mean? It's so like PC like not to play like you have to have the exact person to play the thing.

Yeah. No one can act anymore. Wait, you said, okay, wait, you said before it's so easy to, like, point out bad acting.

You didn't think that had some bad acting in it? No, because what, they were, it was, I thought it was, no,

because. It's like camp, it's like supposed to be. Exactly. I mean, yeah, because I was like, what is she going to wear

next episode? What is she going to wear the next scene? And also the characters are so fun. And for that, for what it is, like, I was like,

I like the, the interactions that she had Collins. What's her name? Louis Collins. Yeah. Nepo baby. See? It's a, it's a thing. Once you realize it, you like realize it. Oh, good. That's the thing. She is. She's very good.

Yeah. And so all the other characters and like, I thought her boyfriend had a fake accident first. I thought he was like, this guy is not. Wait, Alfie? I thought he was like, yeah. I was like, because he would go, you were supposed to make me for dinner. wait i know you're busy but you have to do it all right i was like wait a minute come on and then i found that he really is british did you did you google is alfi from emily and paris british yes and he's like actually a brit i was like oh all right wait you know what i thought i thought that the guy who played gabriel

this is really funny because i had said like that it looks like he naps between scenes and then i literally saw an interview with him where he said he naps between scenes and i was like what an on point, because it was always like looking tired. I don't know. If you rewatch it, you'll tell. I also like Kamee because she's just French and cute. But that is a very surprising watch, Steve Howey. Thank you. Do you watch

reality TV at all? The only reality TV that I watch, I can't get into the, all those like harrim. I don't, harem shows. Like the woman's harem of men or the men's harem of women. Oh, okay. I don't, I don't really

vibe with that. I like the, talent competition shows. I'm a sucker for American Idol and X Factor and AG. Really? Yeah, yeah. Because when kids go up on stage and they get that validation from the audience,

it's the realest thing. It's pure raw emotion that they're getting acknowledged by something that they're gifted at. And it's a I can't help. I cry. I love it. I was going to ask you cry. All the time. All

Yeah. Yeah, that's, if you cry, laughed, and loved, hugged, smiled, frown in a day, had a great day. I love that. If you loved, laughed, hugged, smiled, frowned in a day, you had a good day. All the emotions. Steve Howie, thank you so much for coming on my show. It was so good to meet you. If you ever need help with like a router or like, or anything, then, you know, I'm young and hip. I can be your girl. Yeah, you are. Thank you.

So guys, true lies March 1st on CBS starring Steve Howie and Ginger Gonzaga. And she's amazing on the show. She does her eyeliner really well. I'm going to have to ask her about that. Steve Howie, thank you so much. It was so good to meet you. Thank you, Amanda.

It's good to meet you. Thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Not Skinny but Not Fat. Follow me on Instagram at Not Skinny but Not Fat. Subscribe to the podcast. We don't miss any episodes. rate the podcast that you love so much on Apple Podcasts and write a little review. If you tell me you did, I'll give you a big virtual smoocheroo. Thank you guys so much for listening.

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